Discovery Primary Academy

Inspection of Discovery Primary Academy Mountsteven Avenue, Walton, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE4 6HX

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 22 and 23 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy belonging to Discovery Primary Academy. They know adults care for them and want them to do well. Pupils appreciate the high levels of support they get for their learning as soon as they arrive at the school. Pupils who need extra support benefit from the swift and effective response of adults to their needs. However long or short their time is at this school, pupils are proud of the progress they make.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow the school’s rules and benefit from consistent routines. This also helps them feel safe. They are motivated by the rewards they can receive, such as ‘discovery discs’, which they use in the school shop. Lessons are calm so pupils can focus on their learning. Pupils play and learn well together and are very respectful. Pupils understand what bullying is and say it is rare. They know adults will sort bullying if it did happen. Pupils feel their views are listened to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respect the academy values. They like taking on leadership roles, such as language ambassadors, being elected to the academy council or running the school shop. They enjoy visits to the local secondary school for sports.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum and have recently updated some subjects to ensure that pupils’ knowledge builds over time. Teachers have good subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum consistently across the whole school. Leaders and teachers skilfully adapt the curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or who arrive at the school at varying points in the year. As a result, pupils make swift progress from their starting points. Teachers and leaders use assessment effectively. They carefully check for gaps in pupils’ knowledge and successfully address these. Pupils achieve well. However, some pupils are not yet writing with enough independence. A new scheme for writing has been introduced, although it is still in the early stages of being implemented. In some recently updated foundation subjects, not all pupils can yet recall knowledge as

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better?

Reading is prioritised at this school. Teachers consistently follow a systematic approach to teaching phonics. Leaders have ensured that all staff have the skills to provide highly effective reading support. As a result, pupils who struggle to read catch up quickly, including the many pupils for whom English is not their first language. Pupils develop reading fluency by reading books matched to sounds they know. Leaders choose high-quality texts to widen pupils’ vocabulary and develop their understanding of different writing styles.

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better?

Children in the early years get off to a good start. Teachers are effective in tailoring the curriculum so children quickly start learning to read and can understand key mathematical concepts. Children concentrate and enjoy their learning. Adults ask effective questions to develop children’s knowledge and vocabulary. As a result, children leave the Reception class ready for Year 1. 22 and 23 February 2023

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Pupils behave well throughout the school. The updated behaviour policy has resulted in pupils being keen to make the right behaviour choices. Leaders have also put in place additional provision in school for pupils who need specific help to manage their behaviour. Pupils and teachers find this a supportive resource. However, these pupils sometimes miss out on their learning when they access this provision.

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Adults ensure that pupils know about how to say healthy and understand how to have positive and respectful relationships. Pupils are encouraged to show appreciation of each other through a ‘gratitude box’. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain as they are taught about British values in lessons and assemblies and experience democracy through elections to the academy council. Pupils understand world religions. They respect the different backgrounds they all come from and have an age- appropriate understanding of equality. Leaders provide regular links with the secondary school so that pupils feel ready for this next stage of their education. Pupils also learn about the value of savings and finance through the use of the school shop. Pupils and parents would like more extra-curricular opportunities, and leaders are working with the trust on ways to deliver this.

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Staff report high levels of well-being and a manageable workload. They see the benefit of the training they receive and apply this effectively in their practice.

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Governors and trustees accurately identify areas in which to strategically support the school to improve. They fulfil their statutory duties. The trust and governors work collaboratively and use their combined experience to successfully hold leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe at this school as they have good relationships with trusted adults. A ‘worry box’ in each classroom also helps pupils to share any concerns. Pupils are taught about how to stay safe online, about the risks of sharing personal information and about how to stay safe when meeting new people.

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Safeguarding

All staff know how to report concerns, and they receive regular training updates. Leaders respond to concerns swiftly and with tenacity. Appropriate checks are made on adults who work in the school. The trust also monitors the single central record routinely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils with lower starting points are not yet able to apply writing knowledge independently. This means these pupils are not able to record their learning or share their thinking as well as they could. Leaders need to continue to support 22 and 23 February 2023

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teachers with embedding the new writing scheme to ensure that these pupils can write with increasing accuracy and fluency unaided.  In some recently updated foundation subjects, some pupils are not securing the detailed knowledge or recalling prior learning as effectively as leaders intend. This is because the scope of these subjects is too broad. Subject leaders need to ensure that for these foundation subjects they support teachers be really clear as to what specific knowledge they want pupils to know and remember.  At times, some pupils with SEND are not accessing the full foundation curriculum offer. Leaders, including governors, must ensure that these pupils successfully access the full foundation curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 22 and 23 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255138 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Discovery Primary Academy opened on 1 September 2018 and is part of the 4 Cs multi-academy trust.  Discovery Primary Academy does not use any external alternative provision.  Discovery Primary Academy offers a school-run breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, both assistant headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, science and design and technology. For each deep dive, 22 and 23 February 2023

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inspectors spoke to subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ workbooks and spoke with teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met representatives from the local governing body and multi- academy trust.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes of meetings of the local governing body and the school development plan.  Inspectors looked at the arrangements for safeguarding, including the single central record of recruitment checks. Inspectors spoke with leaders about the systems and processes to support safeguarding, and the safeguarding ethos in the school.  The inspection team spoke to parents at school drop off.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including the 35 free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the 13 staff survey responses. There were 68 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Julie Harrison Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lorraine Ratcliffe Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 February 2023

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